Lady Spikers ready for war after big loss

MANILA, Philippines - Dealt another heartbreak by rival Ateneo, defending champion La Salle tries to leave the bitter episode behind and instead focus on the bigger task in the horizon – the UAAP Season 79 women’s volleyball playoffs.

“Siguro sa confidence, yun ang pinakamabigat (Our confidence took the hardest hit),” DLSU coach Ramil de Jesus said, finally acceding to requests for media interview hours after the Lady Spikers surrendered a numbing 25-12, 20-25, 21-25, 19-25 loss to the Lady Eagles.

As a result, the La Sallians (11-3) settled for No. 2 seeding in the Final Four, where they are paired against the surging third-ranked University of Santo Tomas Tigresses (9-5). Armed with the semis bonus, the Lady Spikers need just one victory on April 22 to return to the finals.

“Ang importante naman kasi yung sa semis, doon mag-start talaga ang totoong laban. Kumbaga ito, placing lang so sa 22 ang start ng totoong bakbakan (The most important game is really the semis; that’s where the real battle begins. If you think about it, the game against Ateneo was more for placing but the actual fight will only start on the 22nd),” said De Jesus.

“Kailangang doon, wag na kami magpatalo. Gagawin namin lahat para sa game na iyun (We can’t afford to lose that semis game; we’ll go all out to win it),” he added.

The Lady Spikers started out strong but sputtered from the second set on, allowing the Lady Eagles to steal the ego-boosting victory and take the top seed. Ateneo (12-2) faces No. 4 Far Eastern (8-6) carrying twice-to-beat advantage in their F4 duel.

“At least may time pa para mag-ayos (We’ll have time to make corrections and adjustments),” said De Jesus, looking forward to the nearly two-week break to get the Lady Spikers fully armed and ready for the upset-conscious Tigresses.